French stonefruit sales fillip

French stonefruit growers have been authorised to sell their peaches, nectarines and apricots at supermarket car parks directly to consumers in a bid to reinvigorate a flagging market for their products.

This is the second time in two seasons that a special regulation, put in place to deal with oversupply, has been invoked. Producers were given a 10-day window from 30 July to 8 August to try to redress the balance in the marketplace and stir up interest in their products and consequently lift consumption for the remainder of the season.